Meddling is the only way to stay relevant

Biography

Heinrich Böll is one of the most important and best-known writers of the Federal Republic of Germany. "Bound by the times and my contemporaries, to what my generation has lived through, experienced, seen, and heard," as he himself wrote, he was the critical chronicler of Germany’s history at mid-century.

He was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature for his novels and short stories in 1972.

Heinrich Böll in Hebrew

The editors of the recently published anthology of non-fiction writings by the post-war German writer Heinrich Böll,in Hebrew, share thoughts and comments about the celebrated author and Nobel Prize laureate. Adina Stern and Hanan Elstein also reflect on the process of their work, and explain why they believe that Böll’s work is highly relevant to contemporary Israeli society. The book, The Clearance of Pain: Selected Writings by Heinrich Böll, 1940-1985 is a result of a cooperation between the Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung Israel office, and the “Kav Adom” series of HaKibutz Hameuchad publishing house.

Who we are

Fostering democracy and upholding human rights, taking action to prevent the destruction of the global ecosystem, advancing equality between women and men, securing peace through con­ flict prevention in crisis zones, and defending the freedom of individuals against excessive state and economic power – these are the objectives that drive the ideas and actions of the Heinrich Böll Foundation. We maintain close ties to the German Green Party (Alliance 90/The Greens) and as a think tank for green visions and projects, we are part of an international net­work encompassing well over 100 partner projects in approxi­mately 60 countries.

The Heinrich Böll Foundation works independently and nurtures a spirit of intellectual openness. We maintain a world­ wide network with currently 30 international offices. We co­operate closely with 16 state-level Böll Foundations in each of Germany’s federal states, and we support talented, socio-politi­cally engaged undergraduate and graduate students in Germany and abroad.

We gladly follow Heinrich Böll’s exhortation for citizens to get involved in politics, and we want to inspire others to do the same.